ICE releases wife of Army sergeant after month in detention

ICE released Deisy Rivera Ortega on May 15 after roughly a month in custody, closing a case that drew protests in El Paso and raised fresh questions about how military families are treated in immigration enforcement. Rivera Ortega is married to Sgt. First Class Jose Serrano, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier who has served 27 years and completed three tours in Afghanistan.

Serrano told CBS News that ICE arrested Rivera Ortega on April 14 during an immigration appointment in El Paso, Texas, and held her at the ICE El Paso Processing Center, also known as the El Paso Service Processing Center. Rivera Ortega has lived in the United States since 2016, married Serrano in 2022, and had an active work permit when she was detained. DHS said she was ordered deported on December 12, 2019, after what the department called full due process.

The case exposed the gap between military service and immigration enforcement. Serrano said officials told his wife she could be sent to Mexico, even though she has no ties there and he said military travel restrictions would make visits difficult. ICE says discretionary options such as parole-in-place or deferred action may be available on a case-by-case basis for current and former service members and their families, but Rivera Ortega still spent about a month in custody before her release. Attorneys for Rivera Ortega had said they were preparing a court challenge to block deportation to Mexico.

Public pressure built quickly in East El Paso, where about 50 demonstrators rallied on April 25 and urged ICE to free Rivera Ortega. The protest reflected broader anxiety among military families, especially after AP reported that in April 2025 DHS and ICE changed policy so military service alone no longer automatically shields immigrants or their family members from enforcement. That shift replaced earlier guidance that had given more weight to military ties.

DHS said Rivera Ortega entered the country illegally in 2016 and argued that a work permit does not confer legal status. The government’s stance, along with her 2019 removal order, helped explain why the case lasted as long as it did. But the dispute also showed how a family tied to Fort Bliss and a career soldier’s service could still end up inside the same enforcement machinery that routinely separates other mixed-status households.